Storytelling
by Becks Rylynn
Summary: A collection of unrelated Ruby-centric crossover stories. Now up: The Vampire Diaries.
1. not with a scream but with a sigh

_AN: Yep. So, this is basically going to be a series of unrelated, usually pretty short crossovers between Ruby and another character from another fandom. And right now I'm open to suggestions. Any dream Ruby pairings?_

_

* * *

_**  
Title:**_ not with a scream but with a sigh  
_**Fandom(s):** supernatural/my bloody valentine  
**Pairing(s):** ruby/tom, implied one-sided dean/ruby.  
**Genre:** horror/angst.  
**Rating:** m for theme.  
**Timeline: **starts pre-_my bloody valentine_ and ends post-_my bloody valentine._ au for spn.  
**Spoilers:** general spoilers for spn. spoilers for the end of _my bloody valentine_.  
**Warnings:** dark themes, character death.  
**Notes:** title from the song _it's over, it's under _by dollshead. also, in this story the whole tom/sarah thing is kind of glossed over.

**Disclaimer:** i do not own anything.

* * *

_not with a scream but with a sigh_

* * *

Do you want to know why she lets Tom Hanniger fuck her up against the wall of the bathroom in a dirty bar?

Because he looks like Dean.

* * *

It is sick and wrong but she's going to Hell anyway so what does it matter? If she can't have the real Dean, she'll settle for Tom. Even though he's somewhat of a monster wrapped inside a candied sugar wrapping.

You see, Tom Hanniger is a killer.

She can see it in his eyes the moment she meets him. He is a killer, a murderer. Or at least he soon will be. He is unstable, insanity lurking in those familiar eyes. It is his resemblance to Dean that keeps her from turning, running and attempting to forget all about him.

His resemblance to Dean is also what brings them together. She calls him by the wrong name, he looks her up and down, smiles a smile that is too _sweet_ to be a Dean Winchester smile and that's when she knows.

''I'm sorry, miss,'' he says, ''but I think you've got me confused with someone else.''

A slow smirk creeps across her lips when she realizes she is not looking at Dean. ''Yes, I think I have.''

''He's lucky,'' he says, tipping his glass to his lips. ''This Dean guy,'' he clarifies. ''He's lucky. He's got someone like you.''

She tilts her head to the side and even though she sees the slight hollowness in his eyes, even though she knows he will snap, she can't help but smile at the compliment. It's been a long time since she's been complimented. ''Someone like me?'' She echoes.

''Come on,'' he chuckles and casts a sidelong glance at her. She can feel the lust emanating off his body.

Her breath catches.

Dean never looks at her like that.

''You know you're beautiful,'' he says. ''I can tell.''

And she just can't help herself.

Grinning, she slides onto the barstool next to him and leans a little closer to him. Her blond hair tickles his arm and her eyes sparkle with utter fascination. ''Buy me a drink?''

He turns his head to look at her, the corners of his mouth curving into a barely there smirk. ''Won't Dean mind?''

She purses her lips and scans the room with innocence she does not actually possess. ''Dean's not here,'' she says honestly. And even if he was, he wouldn't give a damn.

''You'll have to tell me your name first,'' he says in a gravelly voice.

There are, in fact, subtle differences between Tom Hanniger and Dean Winchester, she will learn. But she pretends not to notice them. It makes it easier.

''Ruby,'' she drawls, still smiling that perfect smile. ''My name is Ruby.'' Yes, she does know she's beautiful. And she also knows how to get what she wants when she wants it.

(Except Dean.)

''Well, Ruby,'' his eyes twinkle in a way Dean's never do, with mirth and excitement. ''I'm Tom.''

Tom.

Not Dean.

She leans even closer, so close she can smell the alcohol on his breath and he can feel her warm breath on his neck. ''How about that drink, Tom?''

* * *

Two drinks later, she's pulling him into the bathroom with her lips on his because she's lonely and he's a little tipsy....

....and he looks like _Dean._

* * *

''Hmmm,'' Dean mulls the next time he sees her, lips turned down in a thoughtful frown as he scrutinizes her thoroughly. ''What's different about you?''

She swallows hard and crosses her arms uncomfortably. He can't possibly know she's had sex with his look-a-like, can he?

He circles her slowly. ''Did you do something to your hair?''

She breathes.

* * *

She falls into Tom like she would never fall into Dean.

She lets him trail soft kisses down her body and when she kisses him, she kisses him like she means it.

Is she the only one who thinks it is slightly odd that the _almost monster_ is sweet and gentle and the _wounded hero_ is jaded and rough?

Tom is probably what most women dream of. The kind of guy that hopeless romantics see as some sort of Prince Charming. She knows better. Or at least she should. He is a ticking time bomb and when he explodes, they'll all fall down.

She lies awake at night, watching him sleep beside her and she traces his face while he sleeps soundly. She waits for the beast inside of him to awaken.

* * *

Dean would never bring her flowers.

Tom does.

Marigolds, to be precise.

They're beautiful and delicate looking and she smiles when he wraps his arms around her waist from behind and kisses her neck.

But she can't help but remember what marigolds mean. _Cruelty and grief and pain._

She can't decide whether to laugh or cry.

* * *

''Ruby,'' he mumbles groggily, face buried in his pillow. ''What are you doing?''

''Drawing a picture,'' she replies lazily, scribbling a pattern on his back with her lipstick.

''Of what?''

''Our future.''

Their future looks very dark. That could be the black shade of the lipstick though.

''Yeah?'' He opens his eyes and tosses her a half asleep smile. ''What do you see?''

She sees death. Blood. _Carnage._

''I'm not sure yet,'' she lies.

* * *

''Tell me,'' Dean smirks and leans back against the cracked vinyl booth in an all night diner, his fingers absently pushing his plate of french fries towards her. ''Who is this guy?''

She narrows her eyes at him but accepts the bottle of ketchup he hands her. ''What guy?''

''Sweetheart, I ain't stupid. I can tell when someone's gettin' laid. So, who is he?''

She licks ketchup off her finger, meets his eyes with a steady gaze and breathes slowly and evenly. ''Why do you care?''

All traces of humor disappear from his eyes, his mouth twists into a scowl and he looks at her for an unbearably long time. ''I don't,'' he finally says.

She thinks his eyes might say something else.

* * *

The monster inside of Tom Hanniger is slowly clawing its way to the surface.

She can tell.

She knows she should probably do something about it. Stop him from becoming what he's _meant_ to become. She hovers over him one night, dagger in hand. She could end it all. She could stop this mess right now and save a lot of people.

But she can't.

The knife clatters to the ground and the tears come. They start as silent trails of moisture that make her cheeks glisten in the dim light and grow into whimpers, soft and quiet. And it's the first time since she clawed her way out of The Pit that she has allowed herself to cry.

Kicking the knife under the bed, she crawls into the empty space where she is supposed to be and weeps into his chest. Her tears leak through the fabric of his shirt and he opens his eyes.

''Ruby?'' Blinking sleep from his eyes, he looks down at her, frowns in worry and she holds on tighter. ''Ruby, what's wrong?''

''It was just a dream,'' she whispers and even lying is becoming harder to do.

He holds her close, whispers sweet things that don't mean a thing and strokes her hair.

She draws away, looking at him through glassy eyes. ''It was just a dream,'' she repeats before she kisses him hard.

Her tears fall against his skin.

The end comes closer.

He's gonna break soon and she's not sure what she'll do when he does.

* * *

It's an awfully dangerous thing to do.

But she's quite certain she's falling for him.

* * *

She wakes one morning to cold light and an empty bed.

There are no traces of him left in the bedroom but she still remembers the way he kissed her the night before, desperate and scared, the voices coming closer. She remembers him trembling and shaking and tossing and turning.

She knows what this means.

The evil within Tom Hanniger has awoken.

And now there is no one left to kiss away her tears.

_Ashes, ashes, we all fall down._

* * *

''Have you been getting enough sleep?'' Sam asks carefully.

''Why would you ask me that?''

''No reason.''

Dean leans against his car as they watch Sam walk away. ''So, the guy's gone, huh?'' There is no amusement in his voice, no contempt, no smirk on his lips and his eyes are staring straight ahead of him.

She leans heavily against the car and folds her arms, her knees feeling weak. ''Yes. The guy's gone.'' A gentle breeze pushes strands of hair into her eyes.

''You wanna go forget about him?'' He offers. ''We could get hammered.''

She smiles wryly. ''Not right now.''

* * *

He is not hard to find.

She just follows the trail of blood.

* * *

She waits in the darkness of the forest, the trees swaying in the wind, her heart hammering against her ribcage even though she looks perfectly at ease.

He'll get out alive, she's sure of it. He'll get out alive and then he'll run.

She waits, twirling the knife in her hands.

* * *

''Ruby?'' He hisses her name out in shock when she pops out from behind a tree, stumbling backwards.

She grins and tilts her head to the side. ''Hi, honey,'' she greets him casually. ''Whatcha doin'?''

He stands shell shocked for a moment, staring at her like she's just a figment of his imagination. Maybe that's honestly what he thinks she is. His eyes darken and he backs away from her, shaking his head. ''N-No. You....You need to leave.''

She shakes her head sadly and swallows it all down. ''What have you done, Tom?''

''I....I don't....'' His eyes cloud over with something like fear and for one precious moment it's almost like looking at the old Tom again. ''....It wasn't me,'' he whispers hoarsely.

''It _was_ you,'' she argues.

''No. No, it was Warden....Warden....'' He trails off, looking rather ill, and he collapses to the ground. There is only confusion and desperation in his eyes when he looks up at her. ''Ruby, I can't....I can't....''

She feels her breathing begin to speed up, sorrow racing like poison through her veins.

''Help me,'' he begs. ''Will you help me?''

She drops to her knees in the dirt and wraps her arms around him. Don't cry, don't cry. He's a killer, dangerous and insane.

But he was _hers._

''The white walls,'' he mumbles against her shoulder. ''The white walls and the straightjackets and people watching me all the time. Their eyes feel like knives.'' He pulls away from her suddenly, grasping her shoulders tightly, his fingers digging into her skin. The lunacy in his eyes scares her more than it should. ''Don't make me go back there!'' He cries, desperately. ''Don't send me back there, Ruby.''

''I won't,'' she promises. ''You won't go back there, baby, you won't.''

''Then tell me where I'll go,'' he pleads and he looks a little bit like a child. A frightened little boy lost.

She tries to breathe.

''Somewhere else,'' she utters. ''You'll go somewhere else.''

He looks at her through eyes that shine and she moves closer. ''What are you doing?'' He rasps.

''Ssshh....'' She brings a hand to his cheek, smiling through her own pain. ''I'm going to help you.'' She closes the space between them and kisses him gently on the lips. When he closes his eyes and kisses her back, she can't help but close hers too.

It's even harder than she thought it would be.

She thinks of dirty bars and marigolds and their future drawn in lipstick. And the cold night air chills her to the bone as she pulls out her silver knife, kisses him a little harder, and plunges the sharp end of her knife into her lover's heart.

Her tears fall against his skin.

* * *

Somewhere along the way it stopped being about _Dean_....

....and started being about_ Tom_.

Now she doesn't have either of them.

* * *

She is silent like smoke as she slips into a darkened motel room, her hands red and raw from scrubbing away blood.

There are bodies in the bed, lying still, breathing even.

Her eyes linger on Sam for a moment and then she turns her gaze to Dean. He is sprawled out on the bed, one hand dangling over the edge, the other hidden under his pillow, most likely gripping that knife he keeps there ''just in case.''

She backs against the wall and slides to the ground, silent tears making tracks down her cheeks.

She watches his chest rise and fall with every breath he takes and she thinks it's the most beautiful sight in the world.

* * *

She is gone by the time they wake up.

* * *

She finds that she is fallen.

At this moment in time, quite literally.

She is on the cold ground in an alleyway when _he_ finds her, wasted and pathetic and she can still see the blood on her hands.

''Ruby,'' he whispers her name like a prayer, crouching down to her eye level. ''Ruby,'' he says again, brushing her hair away. ''Look at me.''

''Dean,'' she slurs weakly. ''Do you know what I did? Do you know what I did to him?''

He sighs. ''Let's get you out of here,'' he says softly before he picks her up off the ground like she is a damsel in distress.

(She just might be.)

* * *

''What was his name?'' Dean asks, once she has sobered up.

She bites down on her bottom lip and tries not to feel a thing. It doesn't work. ''His name was Tom,'' she answers.

Tom

Not Dean.

* * *

_''Ruby, what are you doing?''_

_''Drawing a picture.''_

_''Of what?''_

_''Our future.''_

_''Yeah? What do you see?''_

_''I'm not sure yet.''_

**end**


	2. in every circle of friends

**Title:**_ in every circle of friends  
_**Fandom(s):** supernatural/the vampire diaries  
**Pairing(s):** ruby/damon, established relationship. minor stefan/elena and matt/caroline. mentions of past dean/ruby and damon/caroline.  
**Genre:** humor/romance  
**Rating:** t for language and theme.  
**Timeline: **au for spn, season one for tvd.  
**Spoilers:** general spoilers for spn. season one spoilers for tvd.  
**Warnings:** uh....slightly crackish? an overabundance of pop culture references?  
**Notes:** this was supposed to be angsty but i was in the mood for humor. some characters may not appear in the best light but _come on_, it's from ruby and damon's perspectives. they don't exactly think the best of people. i also apologize in advance for the possible abruptness of the ending. this story was getting on my nerves. title from the song _newport living _by cute is what we aim for.

**Disclaimer:** still own nothing.

* * *

_in every circle of friends_

* * *

Ruby is a very sexual being.

Damon Salvatore is very much aware of that. It's part of what makes her irresistible. He honestly cannot recall a time when she had not wanted sex. So, when she turns to him one night, sighs and says, ''I'm not in the mood right now, Damon,'' he knows something must be terribly, _terribly _wrong.

She's mad. That must be it. She's mad at him for something he did. Only what exactly did he do to deserve a punishment like this? Ruby is mad at him and he has no fucking clue why. Okay, that's fine/ He can deal with that. The part that freaks him out a little bit is the part where it bothers him.

* * *

''Stefan!''

He stalks through the Salvatore mansion, eyes peeled for his brother. ''Come out, come out wherever you are, little brother. I know you're here.''

When he pushes open the door to his brother's bedroom, Stefan is just rising from his seat and tossing a pen down on top of that wussy diary he's always writing in. ''You bellowed?''

Rolling his eyes at the dryness in his brother's voice, Damon chokes down a scoff and dramatically flops down face first on Stefan's bed. He completely misses Stefan's eye roll. ''Ruby's mad at me,'' he pauses and lifts his head, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. ''I think.''

''Well, color me shocked.'' Stefan crosses his arms over his chest and stares down at his older brother, eyebrow raised in what probably passes as amusement in his dark and broody mind.

''Oh, don't be cruel, Stefan,'' Damon drawls lazily as he rolls onto his back. With a frown, he reaches his hand under his brother's pillow, trying to find the source of the unpleasant lumpiness and produces an article of clothing that is most definitely not his brother's. ''Now,'' he waggles his eyebrows suggestively. ''You never told me you were a RuPaul wannabe.''

Stefan scowls and snatches the bra from Damon's hand. ''Shove it, Damon. It's Elena's.''

''Hm, well, as your older brother, I feel I should tell you that underage sex has consequences and - ''

''What do you want?'' Stefan gets out through gritted teeth and Damon damn near giggles at the look on his brother's face.

''Ruby's mad at me,'' he repeats.

''Yes,'' Stefan wrinkles his nose and kicks at the other vampire lying in his bed until Damon sits up. ''And what would you like me to do about that?''

''I don't know!'' With a snarl, Damon leaps to his feet, taking a step towards his brother. Stefan doesn't even blink. ''Don't you have some sage advice to give me, oh wise one?''

Heaving a sigh, Stefan turns and sits back down, peering up at his brother with annoyance. ''Well, what did you do?'' He asks. ''Did you, by any chance, happen to kill anyone lately? Perhaps one of her friends? That would certainly tick me off.''

''Ha! Shows what you know,'' Damon grins proudly. ''I haven't killed anyone since last Tuesday. And he was a rapist and a fugitive, so....no big loss there.''

Stefan blinks at that and then closes his eyes briefly, shaking his head. Damon thinks Stefan's 'I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders' look is way too Edward Cullen for his taste. ''Then what did you do?''

At that, Damon thinks long and hard and....comes up empty handed. ''I don't know,'' he answers with a shrug. ''But I'm positive she must be mad at me for something.''

''Yeah? What's your reasoning?''

Damon pauses momentarily. ''Never mind that. Just give me advice. Come on, lay it on me.''

Stefan's lips twist into a frown. ''I don't think I can help you, Damon. I mean, you could always, you know, _apologize_. But something tells me you won't do that.''

Damon mulls that over for a moment and then smirks a lopsided smirk and tilts his head to the side. ''You're right,'' he says and Stefan doesn't just look _surprised_. He looks _floored._ ''You can't help me.'' When Stefan lets out an unneeded breath, Damon lets out a huff of laughter, before turning on his heel and leaving his little brother to his all important brooding.

It's okay.

There are lots of other people he can go to for advice.

* * *

''Elena!'' He catches up with her after she finishes school, breaking into a run to catch up with her, his hand falling to the small of her back. Her body tenses and then relaxes, her lips tighten at the touch but all she does is sigh as she turns weary eyes to him, shifting the books in her arms. And he may have Ruby but the fact that she still tenses and, dare he say it, thrills at his touch, makes him grin.

''Did you need something, Damon?''

''Elena,'' he begins, effortlessly taking her heavy books from her hands and guiding her over to a table in the courtyard. ''You're a girl, right?''

She freezes and blinks at him, crossing one leg over the other. ''....I don't even know how to answer that.''

He rolls his eyes and sits down across from her, placing her books down on the table. ''You see, Elena,'' he says, voice perfectly pleasant. ''I have this dilemma and I think you just might be the one to help me with it.''

After glancing around nervously, she tucks a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear, narrows her eyes, and leans closer to him. ''Will this involve putting my life in danger?''

''Oh please,'' he chuckles. ''Your life is always in danger. You're becoming quite the damsel, aren't you, Miss Gilbert?''

She sighs heavily. ''Can we move on please? What do you need my help with?''

''I think Ruby's mad at me and I need you to tell me what to do so she'll....stop.''

She stares at him for a moment, seemingly finding it very difficult to comprehend what he has just said. But then a slow, devious smirk starts on her lips and she looks incredibly amused. ''Why, Damon Salvatore, are you asking me for girl advice?''

He glares at her. ''It's a onetime deal.''

''I thought you could get any girl you wanted?'' She teases. ''Something about an unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swfit?''

''Ruby's different,'' he says firmly. ''For starters, she would very much like to rip Taylor Swift's throat out.''

''Hm,'' she frowns and wrinkles her nose at the image. ''Well, I'm not sure I'm the best person to be asking. Ruby and I....aren't exactly BFFs.''

''Just because of that one time,'' he snorts. ''That's water under the bridge.''

''Maybe for you,'' she snaps. ''She tried to _kill _me.''

''She thought you were Katherine.''

She squirms uncomfortably at the mention of Katherine and her hand instantly goes to the vervain necklace. Before she can say anything, a new voice rings out, dry and decidedly not pleased. ''Damon, what an _un_pleasant surprise.''

''Truly awful,'' another voice adds.

Still smiling that perfect smile, he looks up at the newcomers and nods. ''Well, well, well, if it isn't the other two Charmed Ones,'' he greets. ''Bonnie, Caroline, you girls look lovely today.''

''Eat me,'' Caroline bites out.

''Don't tempt me,'' he fires back.

Bonnie, however, peers up at him over her sunglasses, popping her gum loudly as she and Caroline take a seat on either side of Elena. ''Where's Mrs Psychopath today?''

''Apparently,'' Elena shoots her friends a positively scandalized look. ''Damon did something terrible.''

''Alert the media,'' Caroline quips.

''He needs our help to make it up to her,'' Elena continues, grinning widely and showing off her pearly whites.

Damon glares at her. ''I didn't say anything about needing their help, Elena. I said I needed _your_ help.''

''You need girl advice, Damon. They're girls.''

''Only question is,'' Bonnie pushes her sunglasses onto the top of her head and leans her arms on the table, expression deadly serious. ''Why would _we _help _you_?''

''Yeah, helping an ex-boyfriend with his current girlfriend isn't high on my list of top priorities,'' Caroline states simply.

Damon flashes her a feral grin and comes this close to showing her his fangs. ''Jealous, Care Bear? What will Matt say?'' When she glowers at him, he merely laughs. ''Oh, if looks could kill.''

Out of all of them, Elena seems to be the only one who is truly willing to help. Well, he's always known she has a soft spot for him. ''What did you do to upset her?'' She asks, softly.

He grimaces at that because he's gone over the entire previous day and he's still got nothing. ''Let's not discuss that. Just tell me what I have to do.''

''You could say you're sorry,'' Elena deadpans.

He makes a valiant effort not to roll his eyes and fails miserably. She really is perfect for his brother, isn't she? ''You're wasting my time.''

''Flowers are always a nice choice,'' Caroline pipes up. ''Oh, did I tell you guys Matt brought me roses yesterday?''

''He did?'' Bonnie smiles dreamily, dropping her chin into the palm of her hand. ''That's so sweet.''

''He brought you roses because he wants to do you, Caroline,'' Damon states, winking when she glares at him.

Bonnie's smile fades and she huffs, drawing her lips into a thin line as she turns her eyes back to Damon. ''Chocolates,'' she says simply. Most likely so he'll leave. ''Get her chocolates. Or ice cream. Or _shoes_. Girls love shoes.''

''And Johnny Depp,'' Elena nods.

''And declarations of love,'' Caroline grins.

''So, you could dress up as Jack Sparrow, stand on a rooftop and shout ''I love Ruby'' while holding shoes and ice cream,'' Bonnie says.

''I think I'd melt if Matt did that for me.'' Caroline's eyes are glazing over and he's pretty sure he's lost her. It never did take much for her mind to drift elsewhere.

''And there's clothes,'' Bonnie continues. ''Or dinner by candlelight. You could write her a poem....''

His left eye twitches.

''....You could get her a mixed tape.''

He has never wanted to blow his brains out as much as he does right now.

''And of course there's always the fall back,'' Elena says. ''Jewelry. Diamonds are a girl's best friends, after all.''

He loses it. Leaping to his feet, he glares at them, clenching his fists to keep his fangs from showing. ''Ruby is not a teenage girl!''

All three of them seem completely nonplussed by his outburst and the knowledge that they're becoming less and less afraid of him disturbs him to no end. ''Yes,'' Elena agrees. ''But _we_ are.'' Well, she's got him there.''

''Look,'' Bonnie says unapologetically. ''We just don't know her that well. We don't know what she would like.''

''Maybe you should talk to one of her friends,'' Caroline suggests.

It's the first time he's heard her say something remotely smart. The world must be ending. He can't believe he's even thinking it, but....Caroline Forbes is right. Uh-huh. The world is most definitely ending.

* * *

Dean Winchester lifts his eyes from the newspaper and puts his mug of coffee down when Damon slides into the seat across from him. ''Well, lookee here,'' the hunter drawls with a lazy smirk. ''It's Spike. Where's Angel?''

''I don't know, Harry,'' Damon retorts smoothly. ''Where's Lloyd?''

''_Funny._ You come here because I'm just too tasty to resist?''

''Careful now,'' Damon warns, wagging a finger. ''Or Katy Perry might just write a song about how gay you are.''

Dean's eyes sparkle with mischief as he absently twirls an empty fork in his hand and leans back against his chair. ''You listen to Katy Perry? Dude, do you know how many cool points you just lost?''

''Not me,'' Damon says mysteriously.

''Don't tell me.'' Dean actually looks horrified, the fork clattering to the table when the shock causes him to lose a little grace. _''Ruby?''_

''Stefan.''

Dean lets out a bark of laughter, shaking his head. ''That guy's one scary ass vampire. About as scary as Edward Colon and his band of merry freaks.''

''Not a Twilight fan, Dean?''

''So, did you come here for a specific reason, Damon? Or did you just want to have a monster sarcasm rally?''

''Did you just steal a line from Buffy? How_ rude_.''

''Did you just steal a line from Full House? How _pathetic_.''

''Holy crap,'' a voice says and they both turn their eyes to Sam, who is currently standing next to their table staring down at them in either horror or amazement. ''I get it, that guy over there in the corner gets it, the whole _world_ gets it, you're both witty. Can you stop pulling a Lorelai and Rory and move on?''

While Damon does not enjoy being compared to a coffee addicted MILF and her annoying daughter, he does, in fact, move on, pursing his lips and carefully training his eyes on Dean. ''You're Ruby's ex, right? You dated her?''

In response, Dean laughs and makes a grab for his coffee. ''Screwing around in the back of my car a few times doesn't really qualify as dating. It's not like we were married. I don't do commitment.''

He really thinks he's badass, doesn't he?

Damon can feel a headache coming on already. ''You're both her friends, are you not?'' He questions, choosing to pretend he did not hear Dean's asinine comment.

Sam shrugs. ''You could say that. Why?''

''She's angry.''

''Did you fuck some other woman?'' Dean asks, not wasting any time. '' 'Cause, you know, if you did, Sammy and I will have to fuck you up real good.''

''You don't scare me, Dean Winchester.''

''Ain't that a cryin' shame, Damon Salvatore.''

''Geez,'' Sam mutters. ''Why don't you two just make out already?''

Dean punches Sam on the shoulder and Damon sighs.

''Okay....'' Sam rubs his shoulder and focuses his eyes on Damon. ''Why is she - ''

''I don't know,'' Damon cuts him off sharply. Why do people continue to ask him that question? ''I don't know why she's mad but she is and you two are her friends - God knows why - so you know her and you can tell me how to fix this.''

''Maybe she's possessed,'' Dean says with a shrug, taking a sip of his coffee.

''She is a _demon_, Dean,'' Sam sighs.

Dean blinks. ''Oh yeah.'' But then his eyes get wide and he leans across the table and Damon needs a drink. ''How can you be sure she's really _Ruby_? Hm?''

Damon sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose. Now he's remembering why he doesn't like talking to the Winchester brothers. It's like trying to talk to Wayne and Garth. Or a freaking brick wall.

''Dean,'' Sam groans. ''Don't be a dick.''

''Okay, okay,'' Dean scoffs and rolls his eyes like his brother has just ruined his fun. ''I'll be serious now.''

There's an accomplishment. ''Coming to you two for advice was quite possibly the stupidest thing I could have done.''

''Well, Damon. There's always french fries,'' Dean smirks. ''With lots of ketchup.''

''Yeah,'' Sam nods. ''Whatever you do, don't forget the ketchup. I forgot the ketchup once and she dumped the whole container of fries on my head. My hair smelt like fries for three days.''

Dean bursts out laughing at that, slapping his knee in mirth.

''Is there something wrong with him?'' Damon asks Sam.

The younger Winchester shrugs and steals a gulp of his brother's black coffee, grimacing at the bitterness. ''I've been asking myself that my whole life.''

''Damon,'' Dean suddenly sounds serious, no trace of humor in his eyes or his voice. The sudden switch has Damon raising an eyebrow and wondering how many people live inside that man's head. ''How long have you been with Ruby? Almost a year? Most girls would be hinting towards some type of commitment by now. You know, a drawer, closet space, their own key, a ring. Why do you think I hit it then quit it?''

''Ugh,'' Sam winces. ''Lovely wording.''

But to be honest, Damon's stopped listening to them. They're giving him a headache. ''Okay,'' he stands, pushing his chair back. ''I'm leaving now.''

''Hey, I know Ruby may not be like other girls!'' Dean calls after him. ''But maybe she really does want a ring! Maybe she wants to have your babies!''

Damon turns to flash the brothers dark eyes and sharp fangs but Dean's laughter follows him all the way out the door. He should have eaten them when he had the chance. However.....Maybe Dean's right about something.

For once....

* * *

Honestly?

She's not mad at Damon.

Really.

She had a bad day and she took it out on him. She isn't mad at him. But Damon's smart enough to know that, right? I mean, he knows her so he should know she's not mad at him. So....how come she can't seem to find him?

Pushing tendrils of blond hair out of her eyes, she drags herself down the halls of the Salvadore mansion, her heels clicking on the hardwood floors. ''Damon?'' It's times like these that she hates how big the freaking house is. ''Damon?'' Not just big either, but dark too. Sometimes it's like living in a horror movie. You never know who's going to jump out of the shadows and hack you to death. The sound of soft music from down the hall catches her attention and a sigh escapes her lips when she realizes it's coming from Stefan's room.

Great. Damon's probably snooping again.

Without stopping to think that Stefan could actually be the one in _his _room, she grasps the doorknob and pushes the door open.

With a very unmanly shriek, Stefan rolls off of Elena and lands hard on the floor while Elena gasps and scrambles for a sheet to cover her half naked body.

Ruby, however, barely reacts. With one raised eyebrow, she presses stop on the stereo, silencing their cheesy make out music and leans against the doorway carelessly. She looks at them for a long time as they both hastily tug on clothes and then she smirks. ''Ew.''

''Don't you _knock_?'' Stefan growls.

She shrugs. ''Not usually.''

''Did you need something, Ruby?'' Elena asks, her voice only showcasing exasperation as she fixes her hair and smoothes down her shirt. Or rather, Stefan's shirt.

''No,'' Ruby says dryly. ''I just thought I'd watch.''

''Ruby,'' Stefan says and since he's this close to sighing, she rolls her eyes and pushes off the door.

''Do you two sex addicts know where Damon is?''

Elena's lips curve upwards. ''Looking for a boom box?''

''Excuse me?''

''You know....Say Anything? John Cusack's character stood outside - ''

''Yes, Elena, I know,'' Ruby huffs. ''Why would Damon need to pull a Say Anything?''

Stefan and Elena look at each other, slightly confused. Ruby almost groans. Stefan and Elena might be hornier than her and Damon at times but they're usually very much on top of the things that happen in this town. If they look confused, it's not a good sign. ''What do you mean?'' Stefan rises to his feet, half heartedly trying to smooth down his hair. She's actually never seen his hair look so....so....deflated. ''Aren't you mad at him?''

''No. Why would I be mad at him?''

''I can think of about a million reasons why.''

''Yes, well, I'm not as picky as you, _Steffy_,'' she sneers.

''He thinks you're mad at him,'' Elena speaks up, pushing herself onto her knees. ''He came to me for advice on how to make it up to you.''

''Yeah,'' Stefan nods. ''Me too.''

Oh, well, super. Why on earth would he go to Nathan and Haley over there for advice? Perhaps he's not as smart as she thinks. ''And what exactly did you tell him?'' She asks calmly.

''I told him I couldn't help him,'' Stefan says, taking a seat next to Elena.

She snorts, unimpressed. ''Some brother you are.''

He shoots her a glare and when his lips twist into a frown and his eyes flash, she can really see the family resemblance. ''I told him to apologize for whatever he did but I knew he would never do that.''

He has a point there.

''He cornered me after school and asked for my help,'' Elena explains. ''But he wouldn't tell me what he did wrong.''

''Because he didn't do anything wrong!''

''That was probably why,'' the brunette concedes. ''We told him to get you something. Flowers, chocolates, shoes, a declaration of love. I'm pretty sure he didn't take us seriously.''

Ruby laughs, giving the girl a onceover. ''_I'm_ having a real hard time taking you seriously right now with your sex hair and - Wait.'' The smirks fades from her lips and a sense of dread fills her chest as Elena's words come back to haunt her. ''Did you say _we_?''

''Yeah,'' Elena nods innocently and peers up at her with those big doe eyes of hers. ''Me, Bonnie and Caroline.''

Well....

....Crap.

* * *

Caroline's not going to be much help because she's too busy trying to swallow Matt's face to even come up for air.

Bonnie on the other hand, could be of some use.

''I take it he didn't dress up as Jack Sparrow or get you a mixed tape,'' the teen witch muses when she sees Ruby walking her way.

Ruby's lip curls in disgust. ''_That's_ what you told him to do?''

''Oh, don't even try to deny it,'' Bonnie smirks. ''Every girl loves Captain Jack Sparrow.''

''Yes, but Damon can't pull that off. _Trust me_.'' When Bonnie blinks and lets out a small chuckle, question in her eyes, Ruby holds up a hand and shakes her head. ''Don't ask.''

Bonnie doesn't ask, instead sipping at her soda. Out of all of Stefan's little school friends, Bonnie is quite possibly the only one Ruby can stand. Elena is far too dramatic for her taste, Caroline is giving all blondes a bad name, Matt is way too jock-y and the others are all fine and dandy but they're just _kids._ Bonnie, however, has a certain level of maturity to her that cannot be denied.

''So, is that all you told him to do?'' Ruby asks. ''Dress up as Jack Sparrow and make me a mix tape?''

Bonnie shrugs. ''Well, pretty much. He's Damon, though, so he got frustrated with us pretty fast and then he stormed off.''

''Did he say where he was going?''

Bonnie starts to shake her head but then her eyes light up and she sits up straighter, her hand nearly knocking over her soda. ''Caroline did suggest he talk to someone who knows you better. Maybe that's where he went.''

Ruby sighs. ''Well, thanks Sabrina.'' She turns to walk away but stops in her tracks when it hits her.

Someone who knows her. That could only mean....

....Oh, fuck.

* * *

There is loud cheering and people chanting ''chug, chug, chug!'' when she enters the bar and when she spots Dean she knows he's probably not going to be a lot of help, given the amount of alcohol he is currently consuming. She makes a noise in her throat like a disgusted scoff and lets him have his moment of glory among the myriad of twentysomething dudes surrounding him, instead moving to sit next to Sam at the bar.

He's shaking his head and sighing and looks way too exasperated and sober to be here.

''Hey, Sparky,'' she greets. ''Does this remind you of your college days?''

''Well, Dean already acts like a frat boy so this really isn't too much of a stretch.'' Loud cheering interrupts them and when they turn back to Dean, he's being praised like a hero and there's a scantily clad brunette hanging off his arm. Yep. Sounds about right. ''The guy's in his element,'' Sam comments.

''See, this,'' she gestures towards the elder Winchester, who is, at the moment, looking like the cat that got the canary. ''This is why we didn't work out. I'm fairly certain he must have gotten drunk and cheated on me at least once.''

Sam shoots her a look. ''I'm not sure if you've forgotten the major blowout that ended it all or not but you cheated on him too, Ruby.''

She lets a wide smirk crawl across her lips, her eyes gleaming wickedly in the dim light of the bar. ''Oh yeah.''

''Drusilla!''

Ruby turns just in time to see Dean stagger towards her, ungracefully collapsing on the barstool, his smirk sloppy and so clearly the smirk of a drunk. ''Spike's looking for you,'' he adds, cradling a bottle of beer in his hand.

''Yeah, about that - ''

''What'd he do anyway?'' Dean slurs and she grimaces at the scent of alcohol on his breath. ''Or are you just PMSing?''

''Dean, don't make me bitch slap you all the way to Canada.''

''Oh, I love it when you talk dirty, baby.''

''Okay!'' Sam decides to intervene at that moment and Ruby couldn't be more relieved because she's about to shove Dean off the barstool. Not that it would take a very hard shove. Dean's three sheets to the wind and she's willing to bet he can't see straight at the moment. ''Not that this isn't a barrel of laughs, because it is,'' Sam deadpans. ''But do you need something, Ruby?''

She smiles gratefully at the bartender when he places a bottle of beer in front of her and focuses her gaze on Sam, pretending she can't feel Dean's breath on her neck. She's been here for how long? Five minutes? And she already needs a drink just to deal with Dean freaking Winchester. Yep. Sounds about right. ''As a matter of fact, I do. I need you to tell me what you told Damon. He came to you for advice, right?''

''He did,'' Sam nods, a small half smirk creeping onto his features. ''And then he had an epic battle of wits with Dean. Nobody won. I crowned them both losers.''

....Yep. Sounds about right.

''Other than that,'' Sam shrugs and takes a sip of his own beer. ''Nothing really came of it. I'm afraid he didn't take our advice seriously. Mainly because Chandler Bing over there kept using humor as a defense mechanism.''

''Pssst,'' Dean pokes her on the shoulder and tugs her hair playfully. ''I can tell you what happened.''

Her eyes flash black in annoyance and Sam chuckles under his breath. Whipping around to face Dean, she narrows her eyes and hisses out a, ''What?''

He crooks a finger at her and looks around the bar suspiciously. Despite the fact that he is acting like a child (possibly on purpose, just to piss her off) and is completely and totally drunk out of his mind, she leans closer to him. With one last stealthy look around the room, he leans forwards, almost falls off his seat and....yells in her ear. ''He's gonna propose!''

Startled, she lets out a yelp and jumps backwards, barely managing to catch herself before she topples to the ground.

Beside her, Sam draws in a sharp breath and calmly walks over to his brother, snatching the bottle from his hand. ''You're cut off, dude.''

''Hey! That's mine!'' Dean splutters. He reaches for the bottle desperately but in his drunken stupor, he can't quite manage to catch himself before he slides off the barstool and lands flat on his face on the dirty floor. ''Damn it, Sam!''

''Wait!'' Ruby cries, hopping to her feet. ''Damon's going to what?!''

''That's right!'' Dean gets to his feet, surprisingly fast for someone so sloshed, grinning like a Cheshire cat. ''He's gonna give you a ring, sweetheart.''

''Ruby,'' Sam starts, but Ruby's already turned and ran.

* * *

By the time she gets home, her lungs are aching and she's having trouble breathing. She bursts through the door, struggling for breath, just as Damon rounds the corner. ''Oh,'' he smiles at her, reaching for something on a nearby table. ''Babe, I got you something.''

''No!'' She screams, her hands flying up to cover her eyes. ''I don't want it! Don't do it! Don't propose!''

There's a long moment of silence as she struggles to catch her breath and finally, she lowers her hands, only to see Damon smirking at her as he holds up a brown paper bag. ''Actually,'' he drawls calmly. ''It's french fries.'' He plucks a red bottle from the table. ''And ketchup.''

She presses her lips together, breathing hard, heat creeping up into her cheeks. ''....Oh,'' she manages to wheeze out. ''Well....okay then.''

''Wait, wait, wait,'' Damon grins, placing the fries down and in the blink of an eye, he's standing behind her arm slung around her waist, lips by her ear. ''You thought I was going to propose?''

She swallows thickly, vowing to kill Dean the next time she sees him. ''Well, Dean said - ''

''Oh, _Dean_ said,'' he laughs. ''Then it _must_ be true.''

She turns around to smack him but he's not there and when she whirls around, he's sitting at the desk, absently popping a fry into his mouth. She frowns. ''I hate it when you do that.''

He shrugs. ''I know.''

With a barely suppressed grin, she crosses her arms and moves towards him. ''I'm not mad at you, you know.''

''I know that too. Stefan told me. He's going to hold this over my head for a very long time.''

''Yes, he is.''

''Are you saying that you would say no?'' He asks suddenly.

She hops up onto the table, stealing a fry from his hand. ''What?''

''To a proposal. Would you say no? If I did ever propose, would you say it?''

She chokes on a french fry. Those are not words she ever expected to hear from him. ''W-What? No!''

''So you would say yes then?''

''No....yes....maybe....I don't know!''

''And if I proposed to you right now....?''

''Yes?''

''Yes?''

''No!''

''No?''

''Damon!''

''What? It's a valid question.''

She blinks at him and can't quite manage to form words for a very long time. ''....Did you....Did you just propose?''

He frowns and scratches the back of his neck. ''I'm not entirely sure.'' Smirking, he pulls her into his lap and her arms wind around his neck. ''Let's not get engaged, okay?''

''Let's not,'' she agrees with a dazzling smile.

''I do care for you,'' he says. ''You're aware of that, aren't you?''

She laughs. ''Yes, I'm aware.'' She presses her lips to his and the fries are all but forgotten. His hands move to the hem of her shirt and his bloodlust gets stronger with every minute. ''Damon,'' she says seriously, once she has pulled away and somehow managed to catch her breath. ''If you ever think I'm mad at you again, don't ever go to Dean and Sam for advice. One of these days, you're going to end up snapping their necks.''

''They _are _annoying.''

''And Caroline and Elena? Don't go to them either.''

''Understood.'' He grins at her and tilts his head to the side. ''So, what do you want to do tonight?''

With a roll of her eyes, she stands and takes his hand. Within seconds, she's pulling him towards the bedroom and all is right with the world again. ''Damon,'' she deadpans. ''Shut up and get naked.''

The bedroom door slams shut.

Yes, Mickey and Sylvia said it best.

Love is strange.

**end**


	3. love the way you lie  part I

**Title:**_ love the way you lie  
_**Fandom(s):** supernatural/vampire diaries  
**Pairing(s):** damon/ruby/dean. slightly caroline/ruby friendship, mentions of caroline/tyler, stefan/elena and past damon/katherine, damon/elena.  
**Genre:** angst/hurt/comfort  
**Rating:** m for language and dark themes.  
**Timeline: **well, au for spn and most likely an au future for tvd.  
**Spoilers:** general spoilers for both spn and tvd.  
**Warnings:** dark themes. including, and not limited to, domestic abuse, possible bloodplay and alcohol abuse.  
**Notes:** the title comes from the song of the same name by eminem and rihanna. oh, and i know we all love mr. salvatore but he is not exactly perceived as a particularly nice guy in this fic. you have been warned. translation: don't bitch at me because you think damon is a great guy and should totally be president. i'll get pissed.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

_love the way you lie_

* * *

_**One**_

* * *

Delicate skin bruises.

Purples, yellows, blues, grays, blacks. They're ugly, ugly things that tell dreadful stories no one should ever know.

Her skin is not delicate. It does not bruise and it does not give all her secrets away. Bruises never come, but the blood...the blood is everywhere. It stains her clothes and her hair and it's smudged on the walls of the boarding house and she can rinse and wash and scrub until she's raw but it's always on her hands.

She doesn't bruise, but she bleeds and sometimes she wonders if there will come a day when she bleeds dry.

What happens then?

* * *

It should surprise her that Caroline Forbes is the first person to notice, but somehow it doesn't.

They are cordially invited to Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood's engagement party (and really, who the hell thought _Caroline_ and _Tyler_, of all people, would wind up engaged right out of high school) and to keep up the appearance of the glowing, wealthy, well respected Salvatore couple, they go. They go and, unsurprisingly, they get into a monster of a fight in public that ends with her at the bar and him assuring the gaping onlookers that it was nothing with that easy smile of his.

She can't help but notice, halfway through the dull as fuck party, that when her eyes are not on Tyler, Caroline is looking at _her_. It's unnerving.

She frowns and fixes her hair over her neck.

He catches her eye from across the room, his lips twist into a smirk and he raises his glass to her. She'd love to say that it makes her feel butterflies, but the bitter truth is that she drowned those butterflies a long time ago with an astounding amount of alcohol. She looks away from him sharply and orders another drink.

Caroline corners her at the bar with a soft smile and a quiet voice, two things that generally do not go hand in hand with this particular girl. ''Hello, Ruby,'' she greets, taking a seat next to the already a little tipsy blonde and crossing her legs.

''Hey, kid. Congratulations,'' Ruby glances over her shoulder towards Tyler and Matt. ''You picked the hot one.''

''And you picked the deadly one.''

Ruby snaps her head around to face the young bride-to-be and it takes all her self control to keep her eyes from dilating black. ''_What?_''

Caroline reaches out before another word can be said and her soft fingertips brush hair away from Ruby's neck. She smiles a slow, sad smile at what she sees and meets Ruby's eyes. ''Yeah,'' she says. ''I've been there.'' She sighs and shakes her head in what looks way too much like pity for Ruby's comfort. ''Damon Salvatore has one hell of a hold.''

Ruby scowls. ''Whatever.'' She doesn't really feel like talking right now. So naturally, she orders another drink.

''He won't stop,'' Caroline warns. ''That..._monster_ won't stop until you make him stop.''

''He's not a monster,'' is the only response she gets.

Caroline purses her lips, silences and nods slowly. ''I told myself that once too.''

''Look,'' Ruby stands to tower over the girl, glaring down at her with empty eyes. ''You and I? We're not the same, Caroline. I don't mean what you meant to him. And I don't need life lessons from some knocked up former cheerleader, okay?''

Caroline's eyes widen in surprise and her hands fall to her stomach.

Ruby sneers and her voice sounds like venom to the girl. ''Nobody ever gets married at 18 because they're _in love_.'' Her fingers wrap around her glass and she turns on her heel to run (because running has always been what she's best at) but Caroline won't give up and her voice stops her in her tracks momentarily.

''Ruby,'' she says gently. ''If you need help - ''

''I don't want your help,'' she snaps out defensively, before she stomps away from the younger girl with determination in her steps.

She won't realize until much later, that Caroline has stolen her phone.

* * *

The night air has always felt like home to her and it's no different tonight as she steps out into the back alley, desperate for some air.

Her life is lonely.

She lives the life of a sheltered socialite, even though that's hardly what she can be considered as. She has all the money in the world, she sleeps beside a virtual stranger and she craves for something more. Something she gave up and something she cannot have ever again. She gave up a lot for Damon Salvatore. She gave up everything. The way she dressed, hunting, most of her confidence, the Winchesters...

That last one stings more than it should.

She gave up her life for his. Mystic Falls, blood and bourbon. For awhile there, she had Stefan and his parade of people and she played the role of the sarcastic sister-in-law flawlessly because standing between two brothers was kind of what she had always done. But now Stefan and Elena are off on their post-graduation backpacking trip across Europe and the boarding house is too empty and too streaked with blood to be considered her home.

And she hurts more than she should nowadays because there's a gaping hole inside of her that aches and itches for something she no longer has.

The door creaks open and before she can even turn her head, her back hits the wall and there's a hand clasped around her neck. Her glass hits the ground and shatters on impact. It reminds her of something.

Damon grins down at her with twinkling eyes that scream at her with thirst. ''I'm hungry,'' he says.

She tries to swallow. ''Seriously?'' She wrenches free with a gulp of air and attempts to move past him. ''That's your line?''

His hand clasps around her wrist and he tosses her back into the wall with ease, smirking when something flashes through her eyes. She holds her breath when he puts a hand on either side of her head. ''Question,'' he murmurs, leaning forwards to whisper against her ear. She closes her eyes. ''Do I need to kill Caroline?''

When her eyes open, they're black and she's shoving him away from her. ''You don't go _anywhere near _Caroline, Damon. Do whatever the hell you want to me, but don't touch Caroline.''

He tilts his head to the side. ''Whatever the hell I want, huh?''

She clenches her teeth, stands tall and never falters.

His already dark eyes go even darker and she watches the veins come out. ''I'm hungry,'' he repeats in a growl.

She draws in a breath. Lets it go. ''Okay.''

* * *

At home, blood gets on her hands and stains the wall.

When he retracts his fangs from inside her neck, she stumbles away from him - uncoordinated either because of blood loss or because she's a little drunk and her heels are a little too high - and collapses on the couch. Her eyes feel heavy and she's having trouble breathing, but she knows by now that it will all pass sooner or later. ''Damon,'' she slurs weakly, a trembling hand pressed to her neck. ''I don't want to do this anymore.''

He licks his lips, hesitates and then shakes his head, turning away from her. ''Too bad.''

''We're not happy,'' she argues rationally.

He faces her with lifeless eyes and she sees the shadows of Katherine and Elena hidden away like secrets in his eyes. ''You and I weren't made to be happy,'' he says quietly.

She concentrates on stopping the bleeding.

* * *

Later, when he's asleep in their bed, she washes sin and blood away in the shower and tries to remember what it feels like to pray.

* * *

Out of her drawer comes that last little piece of broken promises and everything she left behind for this. In the form of a silver ring, her past stares up at her forlornly. She toys with the ring until it feels like faith in her hands.

_'You and I weren't made to be happy.'_

Yes.

But that's not exactly true, is it, Ruby?

* * *

She was happy once.

Before the blood.

Two years ago she was very happy.

Sometimes she forgets how she got here.

* * *

Life continues on as usual and she slips even farther away from who Ruby used to be.

Then one day she sees Caroline in town, walking down the street, deep in what looks like a very serious conversation with a man who is most definitely not her baby daddy.

It's _him_.

And those butterflies...

...Well, those butterflies she could_ never _kill.

* * *

It's been almost a year since she saw him last and she still forgot how to breathe when she laid eyes on him. That is one thing Damon could never quite master. Her instinct takes over when air rushes into her lungs and she does what she does best. She runs. She's intent on hiding away until he leaves. She drains three glasses of Damon's scotch, knowing full well that she'll pay for that later, and then the doorbell rings.

Her pulse races much too fast for her liking and she paints her mask on her face like makeup he can't see through. She pulls open the door with a wry smile and does her best to look surprised when she sees her past standing on her doorstep, all green eyes and ripped jeans. ''Dean,'' she says his name differently than she used to and she's pretty sure he notices. ''What are you - ''

''What's he doing?''

She wipes the mock surprise off her face and meets his eyes bravely. ''What do you - ''

''What is he doing to you?''

''I don't know what you're talking about.''

''Bullshit.'' His voice is hard and rough and it gives her shivers still and maybe that's what scares her. He brushes past her and stomps inside without an invitation, even though it's been a long time since they saw each other. Then again, politeness has never been his strong suit.

Her body still thrills at his touch and she feels goosebumps rising on her skin, but when she sees Dean heading farther inside the house that holds mostly bloodstains and bad memories, all she feels is panic. ''Dean! Don't...''

Too late. When she rounds the corner, he's standing in the middle of overturned furniture and bloody walls. It doesn't take long for that awful feeling to settle in. The one that chews her up and only spits her out when she allows herself to cry. The one that screams at her when she lets Damon do all of those things that hurt._ Shame_. She hovers in the doorway, torn between telling him to fuck off or begging him to take her back to where she knows she belongs. ''Dean...'' This time when she says his name, she whispers it like he's still _something_ to her and when he turns around, she's not sure how much more of this she can take.

He looks pained and torn up with regret as he picks up a book, the cover splattered with blood. ''This wasn't supposed to happen to you,'' he says hoarsely.

Somewhere inside, she finds the strength to smirk. ''I do a lot of things I'm not supposed to.'' She crosses her arms over her chest. ''You should know that better than anyone.''

''This isn't you,'' he says firmly. He advances on her and she fights the urge to _run_, straightening slightly in the doorway. ''This life, this town, these clothes, these people...it's not you.''

Her smirk widens and she knows she must look entirely unaffected by his presence, standing in the doorway in her designer dress and expensive heels, when really, on the inside she can't breathe. ''Maybe you just don't know me anymore.''

When he's close enough to touch her, he brushes hair away from her neck and lets his fingers graze the scars. ''I know you,'' he whispers.

She can't say anything for a long time. ''Why are you here?'' She finally manages to force out.

''I want to take you home.''

''I am home.'' She removes his hand from her skin because it's driving her crazy and takes a few steps backwards.

''No, you're not,'' he argues, shaking his head adamantly. ''You don't belong here with him. You belong with me.''

She turns away from him when he reaches for her again. ''You're too late,'' she says hollowly. ''I'm with Damon now.''

''Ruby - ''

''I think you should leave now, Dean.''

* * *

It hurts. It _always_ hurts. It didn't used to hurt so much. But the blood loss catches up to her now and despite the fact that she's a demon, it's doing something to her. Something bad. She's always _cold_ these days. She's cold, she gets horrible headaches and it's getting harder and harder to _wake up._

She has just pulled on a sweater and is hell bent on getting so drunk she can't feel anything anymore when Damon comes home. She waits for the ''I'm hungry'' to come, but it never does and instead, she feels a cold hand on her shoulder. When she turns, she's greeted by a backhand that sends her sprawling to the ground with blood in her mouth. In response, she reaches for her glass and throws it at his head. ''What?'' She hisses, hauling herself to her feet. ''I don't even get a _warning_ now?''

His flingers clutch at her shoulders painfully and he pushes her into the wall with brute force. ''Dean fucking Winchester,'' he says lowly, chest heaving in anger despite the fact that he doesn't need to breathe.

She tries not to react, clenching her jaw tightly. ''What about him?''

''Don't play dumb with me, Ruby,'' he bites out, pressing her harder into the wall. ''He's here. He's here and you know it! I can smell him all over you.''

''It's rude to sniff people without their permission,'' she deadpans.

''What is he doing here?''

''How should I know?''

''Don't! Don't pretend you don't know! Tell me the truth.''

''I don't know!'' She screams, using all her strength to push him away from her. ''I don't know, okay? I don't know why he's here.'' He's looking at her with those dark and intense eyes and...she remembers when she used to find those eyes so enticing. Rich and dark and full of endless secrets. Now they're full of rage and hate and they're all she sees when she bleeds. She used to love his eyes. She's learned to fear them instead. ''I didn't call him,'' she snaps defensively, wrapping her arms around herself. ''Why would I?''

He eyes her suspiciously. ''Don't do anything stupid while he's here,'' he warns.

''What could I possibly do?'' She scoffs.

''Don't tell him anything,'' Damon orders lazily, stripping off his jacket. ''You know I'd kill him if he ever got close to what's mine.''

She tenses. ''Don't touch him.''

He grins. ''Say please.''

She'd love to think he's joking, but she knows he's not. Sighing over the roaring sound of humiliation, she closes her eyes. ''_Please_.''

He laughs, a deep, throaty laugh that makes her skin crawl and then he takes her hand, staring down at her wrist with interest. ''I'm hungry,'' he says.

She says, ''Okay.''

When he slides his teeth along her wrist and tears open a vein, she chokes back a strangled noise of pain and reaches out to clutch at an end table for support.

You know, it used to be so much easier to hide the pain.

* * *

She runs into Dean at a coffee shop the next day and tries to pretend she didn't mean to.

''Why are you still here?'' She tries to sound bitchy, but she thinks all she manages to do is sound tired.

''I'm not leaving until I know you're safe,'' he says easily.

''Well, tell your hero complex that I'm safe.'' Behind her, a harried looking man bumps into her on his way to the counter and she stumbles over to Dean, hoping he didn't catch the involuntary flinch she accidentally showcased at the touch.

He looks down at her with his lips pressed together and his eyes endlessly thoughtful. ''Liar.''

''I don't need to be saved.''

''Don't act like you're above everyone else,'' he smirks. ''Everybody needs to be saved.''

She scowls and steps away from him because they're suddenly way too close for her comfort and she needs to _breathe_. ''You're wasting your time.''

''Oh, sweetheart, I never waste my time.''

* * *

When Caroline comes home with her arms full of grocery bags, she nearly has a coronary because there is a very pale, very pissed off looking woman sitting on her couch.

''Do you have any idea what you've done?'' Ruby hisses once Caroline's breathing has returned to normal.

''Whether you like it or not,'' Caroline says, putting a carton of milk in the fridge. ''You need help.''

''If Damon finds out you were the one who called Dean here, he'll go after you. It won't matter to him if you're pregnant or not, he will rip your heart out through your throat and feed it to you.''

Much to Ruby's surprise, Caroline only smiles and lifts her shoulder in a carefree shrug. ''In case you're forgetting, Ruby, I'm engaged to a werewolf. A very overprotective werewolf. With a little bit of an attitude problem. Not to mention, he's kind of the leader of a whole pack of werewolves, most of who know Damon and would happily rip him to shreds. I'm not afraid of Damon, Ruby. Not anymore.''

When Ruby has a fleeting moment where she actually envies Caroline, she knows she's hit the deep end.

* * *

Just to be sure, she catches up with Tyler on his way home, all the way wondering why she cares so much about Caroline's safety. Worrying about other people doesn't exactly sound like her. ''Hey, teen wolf!''

Tyler lets out a huff and slams his car door shut. ''Can you not call me that?''

''I'm assuming you're aware of what your little Mrs did.''

He laughs and leans against his car, arms crossed over his chest. ''You mean calling your ex to town? Yeah, I know.''

''And if Damon touches her - ''

''If Damon comes within five feet of her and my kid, I'll tear him to pieces. He knows that.''

''Well, super. I just wanted to be clear.'' She turns to go, satisfied with the fact that at least Caroline is safe and that's one problem crossed off her list.

''Hey, Ruby,'' Tyler calls after her. ''Care's been trying to make me a better person and I think I'm having a moment. Plus, she's under the mistaken impression that you two are sort of, like, friends so...if you need protection too...''

He lets the rest go left unsaid and when she smirks and says, ''Thanks, but I can handle myself,'' her lips wobble and she's left with the undeniable feeling that she is lying to herself.

* * *

She lives life numbly and it shows on her face.

Looking in the mirror has become a brutal torture for her. She's always too pale and there are dark circles under her eyes and it's getting more and more difficult to hide the bite marks that litter her body. If she were someone else, she'd make excuses for him. Maybe he doesn't mean to. Maybe he had a bad day. Maybe everything he says about her is true. Maybe it's all her fault. There are a lot of maybes. But she's not someone else and she stopped making excuses after the third time.

Damon Salvatore is an abusive asshole. That part she understands. The part she doesn't understand is why she stays.

She lives life in a glass house, perfect on the outside and tragic on the inside, and when she looks in a mirror all she can see is a stranger.

* * *

She is pulled flush against his cold body as soon as she steps in the door and his lips attack hers with a desperation that she can taste in his mouth. It tastes a lot like scotch. For a brief second, as his hands unzip her dress and scratch down her back, she thinks about leaving. In theory, she could overpower him in a second and leave all of this behind her. But her brain gets fuzzy when he kisses her and she doubts her strength nowadays so she kisses back instead.

He's oddly forceful tonight. It's not that he's not always forceful because he is. It's just that the way his lips feel when he kisses her neck and the way his hands cruelly push her unzipped dress to the floor, fingernails dragging across her bare stomach...something seems different tonight.

He seems to need her.

(And she knows she may be something of a drug to him, but if this desperate _want_ she tastes is because of his addiction to her then this thing has gotten entirely out of control.)

* * *

There's blood on the sheets from the bite marks on her body when she discovers the reason for his attitude on his phone.

''_Damon, hi_...'' The voice on the message is soft and hesitant and familiar and Ruby stiffens, going so ramrod straight that she hurts her back. ''_It's me. I just called to...Listen...I know you think I don't care, but I do. I just want to know how you're doing. Call me back. Please.''_

''Well,'' a voice drawls from the doorway. ''Aren't you a little snoop.''

She barely reacts at the sound of his voice, lowering the phone. She remains silent, even as he enters the room and trails a finger over the tender bite mark on her bare shoulder. ''Do you even love me, Damon?'' She whispers.

''Do you even care, Ruby?'' He retorts. ''Since when has this been about love?''

''Answer the question.'' She meets his eyes and tries to see the man she once knew. ''Do. You. Love. Me?''

''...Sometimes.''

That's not nearly good enough.

It stings too. More than she thought it would. More than it should. She hands him the cell phone with eyes so blank and devoid of any emotion, she's sure he's questioning whether or not she's still alive. (She certainly is.) ''Call Elena back.''

* * *

''You've been crying.''

Her red rimmed eyes look up briefly, but when she feels that familiar pressure building up once again, she buries her face in the safety of her hands and counts her breaths to calm down.

''Do you want to leave?''

Still stubborn as hell, she shakes her head. ''No.''

He sighs. ''Then why did you call me?''

She lifts her eyes again and the ache in her throat turns into a volcano of words she can't swallow. ''He's so hungry, Dean. All of the time. It just...that thirst...it never goes away. It never stops. And...if it's not me then it'll be someone else. Someone who won't know what's happening or how to stop it.'' She sniffles and has to look away from him. ''I've done so many fucked up things in my life. The least I can do is save a few people. Can you understand that? Can you just let me go?''

He looks at her like he used to, with all of those things in his eyes that she can't name. The things that go deep and beat like a heartbeat inside of her. ''And when will it end, Ruby? Hmm? When he finally kills you?''

She chokes on an acrid laugh, meeting his eyes somewhat reluctantly. ''He can't kill me, Dean,'' she mutters. ''That's why this arrangement works. I'm a constant blood source and he never has to hurt anyone else. He doesn't have to kill people on the streets without ever knowing their names, he doesn't have to lure girls like Caroline into his web and I don't have to help him bury the bodies.''

He looks momentarily shocked and then shock quickly turns into anger and disgust. ''Is that what he used to make you do?''

''It doesn't matter anymore,'' she decides with a shake of her head, wiping at her eyes. ''That's over. It's better this way. He's got a free meal ticket and he can't kill me so you can stop worrying.''

He takes her hand, brushing his fingers over the smudge of blood on the back of her right hand. ''That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.'' He takes a seat beside her on the cold bench and looks her up and down. After a moment, he clears his throat and drops her hand. ''You look like shit, you know,'' he says gruffly. ''You're wearing too much make up, you're wearing heels and...dresses? Really? I mean, what the actual fuck?''

She tugs her jacket tighter around her body and laughs lightly. ''I've changed.''

''Yeah,'' he says softly. Almost regretfully. ''You have.''

She looks over at him briefly and then decides she has to go before she does something she'll regret. ''I should go.'' Rising to her feet slowly, she smoothes down her dress and to her credit, she only looks back at him once.

He, however, has a much harder time saying a simple goodbye. Something that won't shatter her into a million pieces. ''Ruby!''

She turns around with a tired sigh. ''Yeah?''

''You know I never stopped - ''

''_Don't_,'' she orders hastily, swallowing hard. ''Don't you dare say you love me. Don't do that.''

''What if it's the truth?''

''It doesn't matter if it's the truth, Dean! You're too fucking late! I waited for you, okay? I waited and you didn't come. Where were you a year ago? Where were you before this mess?''

''Ruby, I - ''

''No.'' She holds her hand up to stop him, taking a deep breath in order to slow her increased heart rate. He doesn't say a word and she turns to leave because her eyes are burning and she's remembering too much.

''Do you love him?''

She stops in her tracks. Her breath catches in her throat. Loaded question. Damon's words come back to haunt her, _since when has this been about love?_ and she closes her eyes for a minute, trying to breathe evenly. Does she love him? Honestly? A frown tugs at the corner of her lips and she glances over her shoulder, refusing to meet his eyes.

''I don't remember.''

**end part one**

* * *

**AN: I...couldn't help myself. Part two should be up shortly.**


	4. love the way you lie  part II

_AN: Um, okay. So...this isn't the TVD crossover I should be writing. I should be writing the Lila Bray 'verse reinvention, but what can I say? This story just called out to me yesterday and I had to finish this chapter. __Honestly? I kind of forgot about this story a little bit. Funny thing is, this chapter has been almost-finished since before TVD season 2 started. I literally only added two scenes and then it was done. _

_Now, some things about this story in case you've forgotten because it's been so long: Caroline is not a vampire in this story, but Tyler is a werewolf, Damon is a vampire, Ruby is a demon and Dean is a hunter. It takes place sometime in the future of TVD (sometime pretty soon after Caroline and Tyler's graduation) and in an unknown timeline of SPN. I'd say sometime in the future. Also, if you've read part one of 'love the way you lie' (which if you haven't then this won't make sense) then you know that Caroline and Tyler are engaged and she is currently pregnant with their first child._

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

_

* * *

_

_love the way you lie_

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* * *

_

_**Two**_

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* * *

**_

Something pulls her under in the mornings.

It's almost like something is yanking her deep into ice cold water and she has to fight to wake up. That scares her. Really. It does. But what _truly_ scares the shit out of her is that sometimes she wonders what it would be like to just...not wake up. To stay sleeping forever and live in the dreams that tell stories of something other than this. Sometimes, she wonders what it would be like to sleep for eternity.

The part she never admits, not even to herself, is that not waking up is starting to look _good._

_

* * *

_

There are a lot of reasons to stay.

The main one is to keep Damon from hurting someone else. But...there are other reasons as well. She remembers one of them when she comes home from shopping (well, what the fuck else is there to do in this podunk town? Besides, something about spending all of Damon's money on pointless things she doesn't need or want makes her feel a little bit vengeful and better about her empty life) to a terribly drunk vampire who is currently brooding by the fireplace. That is _never_ a good sign.

She approaches him cautiously with a small frown dancing on her lips. ''Damon...'' She takes the nearly empty glass from his hand, risking a violent outburst, and then she cups his face gently. ''Damon,'' she says again. ''What are you doing?''

''Why do you think it's always him?'' He mutters darkly. ''They always pick him, Ruby. Why do they do that? Why _him_?''

''Who?'' She crouches in front of him, lifting his chin up to meet her eyes. Contrary to what people believe, this is not a onesided relationship. She does care about him. She shouldn't. Not after what he's done. But she can't stop. ''Stefan?''

''_Don't_ say his name,'' he grounds out through his teeth. ''That_ bastard_. He takes everything from me.''

In an attempt to placate him, she moves her hand to his shoulder.

''Katherine never loved me. Elena won't _let_ herself love me.'' He shakes his head at their names, either unaware or uncaring of her flinch. ''...They all want Stefan. It's always Stefan.'' He scowls and bats her hand away like she's unnecessarily pestering him. With a glower, he wrenches the glass from her hand and drains what little is left in it before turning and throwing it against the wall, watching the glass shatter, oblivious to the way she jumps. ''Fucking bitches.'' He stands there for a minute, angry and drunk and when she puts a hand on his shoulder again he whirls around to face her, startling her. He looks at her with thoughtful eyes, glazed over with scotch and pain. ''But not you.'' He clasps her hand in his own before she can pull it away and kisses it, making her shiver in something other than fear. ''You won't leave.''

Positive she's not meant to see the vulnerability lurking in unusually soft eyes, she looks away from him and pretends she can't feel that ache in her throat. ''No,'' she assures him quietly. ''I won't leave.''

The moment is gone as quick as it came and in the span of two seconds, he's dropped her hand and roughly shoved her onto the couch. When she lifts her eyes, she sees the glimmer of the fire dancing in his eyes. Great. The only thing that makes her more nervous than a vampire is a drunk, emotionally fucked vampire with a control problem. ''Because you're not Katherine,'' he says plainly, running a finger down her cheek. She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. ''And you're not Elena.'' He kisses her shoulder with gentleness he does not possess and her heart hammers so loudly against her ribcage she knows he can hear it. ''And you know what I'll do to you if you leave me.''

It's a vague threat. One she's heard for a very long time and if she's being honest, it's beginning to lose its edge. But she doesn't dare tell him that. She knows if she does, he'll go to great and gruesome lengths just to make sure she's still petrified of him. He pulls away from her, just long enough to show off his sharpsharp_sharp_ fangs and the veins that tell her he's thirsty, and then he grabs her by the hair and sinks his teeth into her already scarred neck.

She means to scream.

Instead, she digs her fingernails into the couch and doesn't make a sound.

* * *

''Hi!''

Ruby grimaces at the annoyingly cheerful blonde and squints against the much too bright sunlight. ''Kid,'' she rasps out through her sore throat. ''Now's not really the best time.''

''Oh, wow.'' Caroline frowns, little wrinkles of concern appearing on her otherwise flawless skin. ''You look like death. Are you sick? _Oh. _Are you hungover?''

''Sure. Let's go with that.'' It sounds better than _'I got the shit kicked out of me by my drunk vampire boyfriend after he finished feeding off of me.' _It doesn't sound better by much, but at least it sounds slightly more dignified. ''What are you doing here, Forbes?''

''I'm here to take you shopping,'' Caroline announces happily. ''Go get dressed.''

Ruby blinks, swallowing back a tired groan. ''Caroline,'' she starts slowly, tugging her robe tighter around her body. ''Can't you just get a pet or something?''

''Well, I wanted to get this cute little kitten, but Tyler doesn't like cats so...no.''

Ruby arches an eyebrow curiously. ''Is that a werewolf thing?''

Caroline's eyes light up as if she's just been given the answer to a really hard math question. ''I don't know. I'll ask.'' She turns around briefly and that's when Ruby catches sight of Tyler and two other guys that are most definitely werewolves (finding a werewolf in a crowd has never really been a hard thing to do) leaning against their car like big brutish bodyguards. ''Tyler!'' Caroline calls out, still smiling incredibly brightly. ''Honey, does your fear of all things feline have anything to do with the werewolf thing?''

Tyler visibly stiffens, goes red and then shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose, grumbling out a, ''_No_, Caroline,'' as the men at his side dissolve into rowdy laughter.

Caroline giggles in the doorway, absently smoothing down her shirt as she turns back to Ruby. ''I am going to be such an embarrassing wife. It's a good things werewolves mate for life or else he'd never put up with me forever.''

''That's great, kid,'' Ruby rolls her eyes and moves away from the door, mindlessly picking up an overturned vase of plastic flowers. Nothing stays alive in this house. Not even the goddamned flowers. ''But I don't play well with children, so you're - ''

''For your_ information_,'' Caroline informs her hotly. ''I'm eighteen.''

''Exactly. Call me when your age doesn't end in_ teen_.''

''Ruby, I'm about to become a wife and a mother. Does that sound childish to you?''

''That depends on how you approach those roles.'' Sighing heavily at the unpleasant and unwelcome need to be polite to the girl, Ruby risks a glance over her shoulder. ''Look, Caroline - ''

''Dean thinks it would be a good idea for you to get out of the house.''

Well, that's certainly not making her want to go. She scowls and whirls away from Caroline so she can't see the way her eyes flash black for the briefest moment. ''You can tell Dean to suck it. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself.''

''Oh, come on.'' Caroline takes a big chance by stepping over the threshold and Ruby tenses, waiting on baited breath for Damon to make his move. She knows he's around here somewhere and he's probably heard every word of this conversation. If the mention of Dean isn't enough to make him feel a touch homicidal, the fact that his greatest annoyance is inside his house just might do it. ''Can you blame the guy for worrying?'' Caroline's saying. ''He's worried about you. He loves you and wants to have your babies, okay?''

''Well,'' his voice sounds like sugar coated poison and his arm feels too heavy slung across her shoulder. Ruby does her best not to flinch at Damon's sudden presence but gets the feeling she fails horribly when he sends her that familiar 'don't make a scene' warning glance. ''That doesn't sound biologically possible.'' He grins lazily and winks at Caroline. ''Hi there, Sweet Caroline.''

There's a noise like the deadly snarl of an animal from the doorway and Ruby lifts her eyes in time to see the two unfamiliar werewolf goons launch themselves towards the doorway only to realize that, _no_, two big dudes do _not_ actually fit through the door at the same time. Damon laughs at the spectacle, Caroline sighs and puts her hands on her hips and Ruby can't even find the energy to find it amusing. The two men in the doorway receive what looks to be quite a harsh shove and Tyler strides through to take his place halfway in front of Caroline, one hand holding on loosely to her wrist.

Damon's laugh is loud and hearty, but Ruby is not stupid enough to think that he actually finds this situation entertaining. ''Look, Ruby,'' he smiles and squeezes her shoulder painfully. ''Puppies. Let's keep one.'' When both of the big guys remain stoic and unflappable, Damon's smile fades and he turns to send Tyler a disappointed head shake. ''_This_ is the crack team you've assembled, chief? You must be _deeply_ ashamed.''

''Dude,'' Tyler says. ''Back the fuck up.''

Damon rolls his eyes. ''Eloquent as always, dog boy.''

''Okay!'' Ruby holds her hands up and bravely steps in between the vampire and werewolf. ''Caroline, I'll go out with you, all right? Just get your stooges out of here before there's a re-enactment of Twilight.''

''Really wish people would stop comparing me to that shit,'' Tyler mutters.

Damon nods solemnly, tipping his glass to the wolf. ''Amen.''

''Are you drinking?'' Caroline butts in, eyeing the glass in Damon's hand with disdain. ''It's not even noon yet.''

''Congratulations,'' Damon drawls. ''I didn't know you could tell time, Care Bear.''

When Tyler actually growls like a dog, it is_ so _time for this to be over.

''Ruby,'' Caroline grins as she's dragging her wolf guards to the door. ''You've got yourself a deal. I'll meet you in one hour at The Grill.''

Ruby sighs as she watches Caroline pull them out of the house and feels Damon tense beside her. The anger is coming off of him in waves and she knows what's coming next. A hand clamps down on her neck, aggravating the tender and still healing wounds. ''I really hate that girl,'' he says tersely. She tries to move out of his grasp and he responds by grabbing her wrists and pulling her to him. ''Caroline was talking about Dean,'' he states. ''Tell me, Ruby,'' he drops her wrists and chooses to stroke her hair instead, officially putting her on edge. ''How is good ole' _Dean_?''

Something about the way he says Dean's name chills her to the bone and a thousand terrifying scenarios run through her head, all ending with one very bloody and very dead Dean Winchester and one very pleased and very_ full _Damon Salvatore. ''Stay away from him,'' she pleads, not even bothering to hide the urgency in her voice.

Damon breaks out into a wide smirk that somehow only manages to make him look more beastly. ''What?'' He asks innocently. ''You don't trust me?'' He lets out a short bark of laughter, looking thouroughly amused by the look on her face, and then he grabs her by the hair and pulls. ''_Good_.''

* * *

''God,'' Caroline's complaining as she looks down at her stomach with dissatisfaction. ''I swear I look way more than four months pregnant.'' She continues to grumble under her breath for a moment, picking through the racks of maternity clothes for something acceptable and then a gasp escapes her lips, followed quickly by a startled shriek.

Ruby looks up from the book she's flipping through just to be sure Caroline hasn't choked on her tongue or something.

''Oh. My. God! Tyler!'' She whips around with wide eyes to shoot her other half slash bodyguard a panicked look. ''Tyler!'' She screeches again. ''What if it's a _litter_?''

Ruby looks up again and catches Tyler's wide eyed look that tells her that big strong teen wolf is about to have a panic attack and then she goes back to the book in her hands. It takes her about a minute and a half to decide that this book is both horrifying and boring at the same time. Flipping it shut, she tosses it carelessly on a nearby shelf and announces, ''I'm never getting pregnant.''

''It does, on occasion, suck,'' Caroline agrees in a deadpan, holding up a dreadfully boring shirt and eyeing it with both hesitance and practicality in her eyes. Odd for Caroline.

Ruby huffs in annoyance and grabs the shirt, putting it back with a declaration that it is, ''not you, kid.'' Without waiting for a response, she grabs Caroline's hand and drags her over to a rack of dresses that are not her personal style, but they're definitely Caroline's. A safe, non threatening, non intruding distance away, Tyler follows and his eyes move with Caroline. ''Is he going to follow us around all day?'' Ruby asks, slapping Caroline's hand away when the ex-cheerleader goes for one of the more cheaper, practical dresses.

''He's on edge,'' Caroline says, sparing a glance in Tyler's direction. ''It's a full moon tonight. He gets all jumpy and twitchy. Kinda like he's overdosed on Red Bull. Plus, I think he's worried one of these days I'm going to say something that'll piss Damon off so much he'll rip my throat out before Tyler can go all overprotective and wolfy.''

''Hmm.'' Ruby hands Caroline two of the more stylish options and resists voicing her own opinion. Mainly because her own opinion would most likely be some form of ''maybe you should learn to control your mouth'' and it occurs to her that saying that might be labeled rude. Without a glance in the other girl's direction, Ruby moves over to the more high priced clothes where all the pretty things live.

''Uh, okay...Ruby, these are all very expensive and our mothers aren't exactly happy about the baby so they've kind of cut us off and - '' Caroline is quite rudely cut off when Ruby tosses a credit card in her direction and the younger blonde fumbles to catch it. ''Ruby, I...I can't take your money.''

''It's Damon's,'' Ruby says, handing Caroline a shirt. ''Go nuts. Buy the whole fucking store.''

''Oh...'' Caroline pauses. ''Okay!''

''Mmmhmm. Furnish the nursery, buy baby clothes, buy a nice starter home, start a college fund for the little cub - hey, need a new car?''

''You get a lot of pleasure out of spending his money, don't you?''

''It almost sickens me how much.'' Ruby tosses a few dresses in Caroline's arms and it should freak her out how natural shopping is becoming for her. It doesn't. ''So, let me ask you a question,'' she says as she steers Caroline towards the dressing rooms with Tyler shadowing their every move like a caged animal. ''Why exactly am I here? And don't say it's because of my awesome fashion advice. If you're trying to get me to talk...''

''You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about,'' Caroline assures her. ''We're just bonding,'' she adds simply. ''We could be friends, you know.''

''No offense, but I don't really have friends.'' _Anymore._

''You have Dean.'' Caroline breaks out into a smirk before Ruby can respond. ''Then again...you and Dean aren't exactly _friends_, are you?''

* * *

''You look great,'' Ruby offers, doing everything she can to be amicable and friendly instead of standoffish and rude. ''Tyler, doesn't she look great?''

''Huh?'' Tyler looks up from his phone to plant his eyes on Caroline. ''Oh, yeah. You look hot, babe.''

Ruby shakes her head and bites back a smirk. ''He is _so_ good with words.''

Tyler sighs impatiently. ''Caroline, my dearest love, you look beautiful and radiant and it is taking all of my excellent self control not to ravish you right here, right now.'' He slides his gaze to Ruby. ''How's that? Better?''

''Well,'' Ruby crosses one leg over the other. ''It's a bit much for me. But Caroline's blushing so...yes. Much better.''

Caroline squeaks, cheeks growing even redder, a smile so wide on her lips that it must hurt her jaw. And don't think Ruby doesn't notice the way Tyler's lips twitch and he catches her eye in the mirror. It almost makes Ruby feel old. She never blushes anymore. Though, Damon never gives her anything to blush over. The compliments stopped moments after they started a long time ago.

''That's both sweet and pathetic,'' Caroline says, ''but I think I like the blue one.''

Tyler perks up suddenly, looking genuinely interested. ''Was the blue one the strapless one? Because that one made me want to rip it off of you.''

Caroline frowns and runs a hand over her stomach. ''...Is that good?''

''It means he wants to screw you.'' Three heads swivel around to face the newcomer and suddenly this little outing makes a whole lot more sense to Ruby. In the doorway, Dean leans against the doorframe and shrugs at the looks he's receiving. ''What? It's true. You know it is.''

Ruby pinches her lips together and has to look away when he looks towards her.

''Oh, thank God,'' Tyler practically leaps to his feet, bouncing on the balls of his feet, all coiled energy and jittery nerves. ''Your turn, man. You play Harrison Ford to their dual Whitney Houston, okay? I gotta go...run in circles or something.''

Dean blinks and opens his mouth to say something most likely offensive. Just like old times, Ruby jumps in before Dean can make an ass out of himself. ''Full moon tonight,'' she explains. ''Tyler's a little...energetic.''

Dean shrugs again and throws himself down into Tyler's now vacant seat. ''Whatever. Go knock yourself out, Oz.''

Ruby keeps her eyes carefully forwards, watching as Tyler presses a kiss to the side of Caroline's head like an obidiant dog (pun very much intended) when she demands one, and Dean...Dean keeps his eyes carefully on her.

''Be back before sundown!'' Caroline calls after her fiance's retreating form. ''You have to be in that cage, remember! No close calls anymore!'' When she catches sight of a middle aged woman staring at her curiously, she sends the woman a devious smirk and winks. ''We're kinky.'' And then she disappears into the fitting room, leaving the woman blushing, Dean smirking and Ruby actively avoiding Dean's gaze. She keeps her eyes on anything but Dean and he ignores everything but her.

''You're not even going to look at me?''

She whips around to face him with a nasty looking glare, leaning closer just so she can hiss at him. ''Doesn't it make you feel like a dirty old man to be in cahoots with two kids?''

''They're eighteen.''

''Whatever.''

''What exactly about this makes me a dirty old man? Do you think I'm a bad influence? It's not like I'm buying them beer and encouraging them to stick it to the man. Hey,'' he raises his hands briefly. ''I'm not that girl's father. I can't tell her to stop worrying about you. I know it's hard to believe, but maybe there are people out there who actually care about you.''

She turns to face him with a mean looking smirk when the word _father_ slips through his lips and it's clear she's been spending way too much time with Damon when words like acid fall from her lips with the pure purpose of hurting him. ''How _is_ Ben, Dean?'' She sneers visciously. ''Or does Lisa even let you see him?'' Unlike Damon would, she regrets the words intensely as soon as they're out of her mouth.

Like a flip has been switched, Dean closes off from her with ease, smile slipping from his lips, body going rigid.

Regret washes over her like a wave as he turns away from her. Well, damn it. This bitch problem is exactly why she lost him in the first place. ''Dean - ''

''You know what?'' He leans closer, closer than he's been in a long time, effortlessly pinning her against the chair with just the spark in his green eyes and the determined curve of his mouth. ''You can be as much of a bitch as you want. And you can lie to me until you're blue in the face, but I can see right through you and you know that. Whether you like it or not, Ruby, I know you. I know you better than anyone else does and I know you're not mad at me. For starters, you don't really have anything to be mad about. You're the one that left me. And you're not mad because I've interrupted your life. You're scared out of your mind.'' He shakes his head and leans back in his chair. ''You wanna know something else?'' He continues flippantly. ''You walk around this town acting like nothing can touch you and the bites don't hurt and that's a damned lie. You think you're strong, Ruby. But you're really not. Not anymore. You stay with him, don't you?''

''I'm strong,'' she says bravely. ''Because I stay.''

He looks at her for a long time as if trying to tell her with his eyes that her reasoning is fucked beyond belief. ''The strength comes from leaving,'' he says at last. ''Haven't you ever watched Lifetime? You say he can't kill you, but the truth is, sweetheart, there are a lot of ways to die.''

Despite the fact that he has done most of the talking, when silence fills the air she is the one left breathless and swallowing hard. She sinks down farther into her chair and throws a hand over her face because her head is spinning right now. She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, but now he's the one avoiding her gaze. That tells her, in no uncertain terms, that he's done talking and yes, the Ben comment definitely got under his skin.

The silence lasts for what feels like a long time and then he breaks it. ''It doesn't change a thing.'' His voice startles her and she looks down at the ground instead of him. ''The way you act. It doesn't change a thing. Whether or not you still love me like I love you, I am not going_ anywhere _until you're okay.''

She doesn't know what to say to that. She doesn't know what to say to any of that. No one has ever fought for her like Dean is. Hell, he fought for her even after she left him. Lucky for her, Caroline chooses that moment to announce that her zipper is stuck.

Oh, thank God for cheap, faulty zippers.

* * *

''I think this has been a very fun and productive outing!'' Caroline's voice is cheerful and bubbly and goddamn it, the kid's growing on her. Instead of simply tolerating Caroline for the sake of being polite, Ruby is quickly finding she might actually be entertained by her presence. She sends a sidelong glance towards the girl who is currently juggling her many shopping bags, shooting down Ruby's offer of Dean's assistance. A small smile threatens to slip over her lips but she somehow manages to fight it off.

''Oh, yeah, _sure_,'' Dean drawls. ''If you're a _woman_.''

''Hey!'' Caroline whaps him with one of her many shopping bags and shoots him a bright smile. ''You totally had fun.''

''In what universe did it look like I was having fun?''

''Well, you certainly seemed to enjoy checking Ruby out.''

''What? I was never...'' Dean trails off and sends a smirk towards Ruby with twinkling eyes. ''Fuck it. I did that.''

Before Ruby can attempt a half smile, her body is tensing automatically and she's latching onto Dean's wrist, stopping him in his tracks mere seconds before Damon steps onto the sidewalk with that same bloodthirsty smirk that comes to him much too easily. ''Dean Winchester,'' he greets pleasantly. ''How nice to see you again. What brings you to town?''

''Eat me, Edward,'' Dean sneers.

While Damon is momentarily distracted, Ruby reaches over to roughly yank Caroline behind Dean because there is no way in hell she's dumb enough to think Damon hasn't connected the dots yet. Plus, Caroline has a mouth that is going to get her unbelievably dead one of these days and Ruby is not okay with that day being today.

''You shouldn't say things like that in this town,'' Damon warns, draping a possesive and heavy arm around Ruby's shoulder when she moves forwards to push him away from Dean and Caroline slightly. ''Haven't you heard? There are _vampires_ in this town.''

''I've killed plenty of vampires,'' Dean remarks casually. ''What's a few more?''

That's when Damon decides to drop the whole friendly routine. Ruby doesn't think it suits him anyway. ''You'd be dead before you tried,'' he says lowly. ''Just like you'd be dead before you touch her.''

''At least he's not the one draining the blood from her body!'' Caroline snaps. ''You're the one Ruby should be afraid of, Damon!'' She makes a move to step out from behind Dean, probably to do something stupid like assault Damon with her shopping bags, but Dean moves with her, keeping her at least remotely safe behind him. Even though if Damon really wanted to, he could tear a hole right through Dean's chest and kill Caroline. Dean doesn't look all that happy about having to protect the mouthy pregnant chick. He looks like he'd much rather be protecting Ruby.

''Watch your mouth, blondie,'' Damon snarls.

Ruby doesn't think twice before she leaps into the fray, pushing at Damon's chest and doing her best to meet his eyes before his fangs come out. ''Damon...hey,'' she digs her fingernails into his arm and locks eyes with him. ''Just take me home, all right?'' There's this feeling starting in her chest and spreading to the rest of her body, something familiar and strong. She's got her hands clawing at Damon's arm and Dean's fingers are clutching at her jacket and...she doesn't really want to go home. Something in her loves Damon, twisted as he may be. But what she still feels for Dean is something else entirely.

Out of instinct, she turns around and her eyes meet Dean's. He's pleading with her not to go, he's pleading with her to stay and...oh, she'd love nothing more than to stay with him. When she finally tears her eyes away from Dean, she looks back to Damon and tries to smile. ''Take me home.''

He looks at her for a long time and then the darkened look on his face brightens and he smiles a wide, fake smile. ''I think that's the first good idea you've had in a long time.'' That's when she knows he saw that look passed between her and Dean and man, is she ever going to pay for that. His hand is grasping her upper arm hard enough to cut off the circulation within seconds and with a smirk thrown carelessly in Dean's direction, he yanks her towards him and pulls her away.

* * *

When they're safe enough away from Dean and Caroline and the risk of Damon turning around and snapping Dean's neck just to piss her off is lower, she wrenches free of his grasp and shoves him away from her with enough strength to make him stumble. ''You're an ass,'' she declares before speeding up to get away from him.

She misses the almost surprised look that crosses his face for a brief second.

It's been a long time since she's pushed him away.

* * *

She's not sure if it's Dean, Caroline or if something inside her has finally snapped but she's had enough. She's had...so much more than enough. Things are just getting way too out of control and he's getting more and more monstrous with every passing day. And she just doesn't know how much longer she can keep this up.

It happens as the sun is setting. There are fangs in her neck, her blood is sliding down his throat and it all catches up to her. Her eyes are closed and she's remembering things the way they were before this bloody mess. He's taking her away. He's taking her away from the person she used to be. The person she's _supposed_ to be. He's taking her away from _Ruby_. And the worst part is he doesn't care. He doesn't give a damn that he's draining her dry. There is nothing good about Damon Salvatore. Not when it comes to her.

She honestly doesn't mean to do what she does next. It's just that she can see Dean in her head and the place where she belongs and this isn't it. She reacts out of instinct before she even knows what she's doing. Her hand closes around an object on the desk she's backed up against and the next thing she knows, he's reeling back and clutching at his throat, falling to his knees and coughing on blood. Heart beating impossibly fast, she throws herself as far away from him as possible, catching herself on the wall, letter opener still gripped tightly in her hand.

''What the hell did you do that for?'' He chokes out, blood streaming from his slit throat.

''I can't do this anymore,'' she says quietly, bracing herself for his inevitable outburst. ''I can't keep letting you do this to me.''

His hands, stained with blood, reach for her as he rises to his feet but she points the letter opener at him with black eyes. It barely deters him. ''Do you really think you have a choice?'' He grasps her wrists and twists the weapon out of her hands, pulling her to him. ''This is the way we work, Ruby.''

''Well, I don't work this way,'' she screams, struggling in his too tight grip. ''I cannot do this anymore! You're going to kill me!'' It's the first time she's admitted that out loud and it scares her to death. She doesn't mean to cry, she hates crying, but some things you can't help. ''You're going to kill me, Damon, and I won't let you.''

''You can't leave,'' he states.

''Damon - ''

''You can't leave!'' His grip on her wrist tightens so drastically she's afraid he'll break them. ''You can't leave me. You_ love _me. You - ''

''I don't love you!'' He freezes and for the first time in pretty much ever, she sees hurt that she has caused in those blue eyes. But it's not enough this time. It's not enough to make her stay. ''I don't love you like I should,'' she clarifies. ''Some part of me does, but...I don't love you enough to stay like this.''

''No,'' he shakes his head and when his voice actually trembles, she almost breaks. ''_No_.''

''I'm sorry,'' she cries and she means it. She does. Damon means something to her. He could have meant _everything _to her. But she needs to be Ruby and she can't be Ruby with him. He won't let her. ''I'm sorry, Damon. I am. But I can't love someone who does this to me. If you wanted me to love you then why would you do this? Why would you treat me like this?''

''Because this is what people expect me to be!'' He shoves her away from him and turns away. ''People expect me to be a monster.''

''No! Don't play that card, Damon. If you wanted to be better then you would be better. You don't want to be better,'' she shakes her head. ''Not for me.'' She must look like a mess. With her hair in disarray, blood on her wrists, her neck and staining her dress. ''If you wanted to be a man, you'd be a man.''

He doesn't say anything but his silence speaks volumes. She looks at him like she's trying to see something that isn't there. Like she's trying to see the man he should have been. But all she can see is a crazed vampire who uses her and abuses her and treats her like his own personal whore slash blood bank.

''There's nothing more to say,'' she mutters, brushing past him. She almost expects him to grab her and break her into a million little pieces when she dares to move away, but he doesn't. Instead, he remains turned away from her and lets her go.

* * *

''We could go away somewhere.''

The whisper in her ear sends shivers down her spine. She slides her gaze to Dean like he's just promised her the world and can't bring herself to look away from him. ''Somewhere,'' she echoes. ''Somewhere where?''

Dean leans his elbows back against the picnic table and looks at her with a smile. ''Anywhere,'' he says. ''We could go anywhere you want. Somewhere warm, somewhere cold. Name the place, we'll go there, Ruby. Just leave him. Leave him before the next body he buries is yours.''

It's a tempting offer. She wants to leave. Of course she wants to leave. She wants to leave so badly, but there is a strong hand pulling her back to Damon like he's made out of gravity. ''I can't leave,'' she whispers regretfully. ''Damon would be angry.''

''Fuck, Damon,'' Dean says passionately. ''I can take you away.''

''And that sounds nice.'' She nods and bites down on her lip, cringing when the familiar coppery taste of blood assaults her tastebuds. She will never understand vampires. ''But if I leave, he'll just find someone else to feed off of. I already told you I can't let that happen.''

His eyes harden and he sits up straight, leaning over to her. His rough fingers brush hair away from her neck and she swallows. ''There is one way to make sure he'd never hurt anyone else ever again, Ruby. You know that.''

She laughs and tilts her head back to stare at the stars and the full moon. ''Isn't that the plot of a movie? The woman and her lover make these plans to kill the woman's abusive boyfriend and live a grand life far away on some deserted beach just the two of them? You know how those movies usually end? They get caught.''

''There's a very big difference between a movie and this situation we're in here, babe.'' He stands and looks down at her intently. ''Damon is not a man. He's a monster.''

She looks down at the scars on her wrists and arms that prove Dean is right on the money with that comment. Damon Salvatore hasn't been a man for a very long time. He gave that up a long time ago. ''Maybe,'' she licks drawn, bitten lips and looks up at him apologetically. ''But I still don't think I could kill him.''

''You know,'' he crosses his arms and smirks bitterly. ''The Ruby I knew would've kicked his undead ass the first time it happened. She would've beat him to hell and back until he swore up and down that he would never do it again. She would have turned that monster into a man. What happened to her? Huh?''

She stands, brushing off her jeans. With a soft, sad smile, she grazes her fingers over his cheek. ''She gave her heart away and never really got it back. There are a lot of things you can't do when someone else holds your heart, Dean. Have you not learned that yet?'' The eye contact does eventually get to her and she looks away. When she moves to draw her hand back, he catches her wrist, pulls her back to him and leans down to kiss her. She doesn't stop him. It feels remarkably like stepping back in time to when she was happy and it's a feeling she wants to hold in her grasp for as long as she can. Her arm curls around his neck, gripping at his hair and he lazily throws an arm around her waist to tug her closer. She is the first one to pull away eventually, gazing up at him with eyes that beg and plead for more. ''I should get back,'' she rasps out, taking a step away from him.

''Ruby, don't - '' He reaches out to grasp her elbow, but she darts away from hm, shaking her head.

''No. You can't...You can't just kiss me like that, Dean. Not when you have to leave eventually and I have to stay.''

''You don't have to stay.''

''You know I do.''

''You kissed me back,'' he argues effortlessly.

''Of course I kissed you back,'' she snaps. ''You're _Dean_.''

She's gone before he can decipher what that means, or if it's good or bad.

* * *

She goes home to Damon because despite her epiphany earlier tonight, she is too far gone to actually leave him. He'll punish her for screaming at him like that, for slitting his throat with a letter opener, but Dean and Caroline and the rest of the town will be safe and the people who think of Damon Salvatore as a savior to this town will never have to know the truth. She is still mourning the loss of whatever it was she could have had with Dean when she steps in the door.

Damon is in front of her in the blink of an eye, looking lost and delirious and like he's gone off the deep end. ''Hello, Ruby.''

''You've been drinking,'' she comments needlessly.

He shrugs. ''Keeps me warm.'' He pauses and stares at her like he's trying to find something that isn't there. ''Can I ask you a question?''

''I'm tired, Damon.''

He ignores her. ''How can you love him? How can you love him and not me? It's not like he's any better than I am. He's a killer too, you know.''

''He's a hero,'' she snarls.

''You're deluding yourself. He's a hunter. Hunters are killers. That's the way the cookie crumbles, sweetheart. And just so you know...'' His lips twist into a grotesque smirk and his strong hand wraps around her scarred wrist, yanking her to his body roughly. ''You're going to stay with me. You're going to stay with me forever.'' He says it so hollowly it gives her shivers. It's like a dead promise in her ear and it frightens her more than it should. His eyes twinkle with danger and beastly enthusiasm. With a brief glimpse of his fangs, he turns and leaves her standing there with a strong sense of foreboding and chills running up and down her spine.

She follows after him, heart in her throat. When she reaches him, he's standing in a doorway, looking at something with pride gleaming in his eyes and honestly, she has no idea what to think. Except that he's obviously well on his way to losing the one fragile thread of sanity left in his cold body. When she cautiously peers over his shoulder, everything freezes and her blood runs cold.

Unconscious and bleeding from both a wrist wound and a head wound, Caroline lies lifeless on the couch as blood drips from her fingertips.

Damon smiles.

**end part two**

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* * *

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**AN: I swear I'm working on _your words in my memory (are like music to me)_ in which Damon is not such an evil bastard.**


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